Re:AlphaCode as a dog speaking mediocre English
by whatshisface on Sunday February 06, 2022 @01:33PM
(#30235416)
Who cares if they're correct? If they fail a test, you can fix them. If they turn out to be wrong in production you can isolate the example and add it as a test. Producing regexes that pass all current tests but contain a subtle bug satisfy 100% of what programmers are incentivized to do. Producing them very quickly will get you promoted.
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Re:AlphaCode as a dog speaking mediocre English
by nlitened on Sunday February 06, 2022 @02:17PM
(#30235892)
I think we will very soon start seeing a clear separation between programmers ("co-pilot operators") and software engineers (those who do the thinking and understanding when there's someone "who cares").
Re:AlphaCode as a dog speaking mediocre English
by ThrowawayR2 on Monday February 07, 2022 @11:15AM
(#30246810)
We already have that bifurcation in the sense that the majority of programmers can use frameworks, libraries, etc. to get work done but don't have the deeper knowledge to build them well.
Re:AlphaCode as a dog speaking mediocre English
by p1esk on Sunday February 06, 2022 @05:08PM
(#30237512)
This separation has existed since the first computer was built.
Re:AlphaCode as a dog speaking mediocre English
by oh_sigh on Sunday February 06, 2022 @02:39PM
(#30236147)
I feel like you only see programmers as cogs, and not programmers as invested in the success of their product with the statement like "satisfy 100% of what programmers are incentivized to do"
Generally the people using regexes care if they're correct. Frequently, all possible input variants are not enumerated in tests. Frequently, companies want to have confidence in their production code. Imagine this regex is deployed on a sign up flow, and its failures invisibly increase your churn rate. Can it happen with a hand crafted regex? Yes, of course. But I'd imagine it will happen even more frequently with an AI produced custom regex plus a person who doesn't actually understand regexes.
Re:AlphaCode as a dog speaking mediocre English
by whatshisface on Sunday February 06, 2022 @02:59PM
(#30236371)
Programmers often feel invested in the success of their product but that's not what they're incentivized to do. They're incentivized to produce fast results that are bad in ways that you have to be a programmer to understand.
If you have to be a programmer to understand why something's bad, who's going to prevent it? This is a major unsolved problem in the structure and organization of working.
Re:AlphaCode as a dog speaking mediocre English
by solveit on Sunday February 06, 2022 @05:05PM
(#30237484)
The CTO who used to be a dev. More generally anyone in management with a technical background. They may not exist in some companies, but that's not because it's "a major unsolved problem in the structure and organization of working", it's because the company sucks in that regard.